Prayers Answered and Final Countdown

Mason’s nose and mouth with arms over his eyes.

Today we had our last scheduled ultrasound to check on baby Mason before delivery day.  Jason was able to come to this one and we met one of the neonatologists, the last perinatologist, and toured the NICU there at the hospital.  Mason will only be there a few hours before transferring to Children’s Hospital.

Okay, so let’s back up and go through the visit so I don’t forget anything.  First of all Mason weighs about 6lbs 10 oz already and is 35 weeks 6 days along.  Everything looks good.  As a matter of fact God answered our prayer and Mason’s hydrocephalus has not increased AT ALL since his last ultrasound!  A huge blessing because it gives him two more weeks before we’ll deliver. 

Mason is still breech however.  If he doesn’t turn head down before delivery they’ll have to do a vertical incision for my c-section to protect his back/spine, which has some repercussions for me, but nothing we can’t deal with.

We’re officially scheduled to have a fetal lung maturity test (long needle into my uterus through my abdomen) at 8:00am on Monday January 9th, followed by a c-section at 9:30am that same morning.  After my disastrous visit last time (read it here) with one of the obstetricians at the high risk clinic my perinatologist Dr. M personally called and scheduled my c-section to be done by him.  Yay!  That’s what we wanted and is another blessing.

After our ultrasound we met with the neonatologist to have final questions answered about what will happen and what will be possible once Mason is delivered and before he is moved to Children’s Hospital.  I had a few questions, so I’ll share those with his answers:

1. What happens to Mason once he’s pulled out?  He’ll be held up for me to see and taken directly to the NICU.  Jason is able and encouraged to go right with Mason and that is the plan.  In the NICU they will put Mason in a sterile bag up to his armpits.  This is done to protect from infection because his back is open to the spine.  He’ll have a heart monitor on and an IV started.
2. Will I be able to hold Mason at all before transfer?  No.  Neither will Jason.  It is all to protect from infection or injury to the spine/nerves and was what I suspected.
3. Will I see Mason other than that moment in the delivery room before they move him to the other hospital?  Yes.  After I’m sewn up and finish my time in the recovery room they will literally wheel my bed into the NICU to be with Mason for a little while.  Then I’ll be taken to my room.  When the transport team gets Mason into his special travel isolette for transfer to the other hospital they will bring him to me to say goodbye.  Jason will have been with him through all of this and Jason will follow him at transfer to go stay with him in the Children’s Hospital NICU and through surgery.  I’ll stay at my delivery hospital.
4. How can we get breastfeeding going with me and baby separated for days and Mason unable to be held for a few days after surgery?  Pumping.  Lots of pumping.  I’ll be honest, this is not something I planned on attempting, we’ve breastfed in the past with lots of issues (some are hormone based on my side).  However I feel really strongly that at least in the beginning we need to be nursing, or pumping and feeding it to him as the case may be.  There are lactations consultants and great pumps to help me at both hospitals for the duration, so that’s a plus.

We also toured the NICU there.

Now we wait.  And pray.  We have 2 1/2 weeks until delivery.  We’re praying for Mason to turn into a normal position for delivery and that his lungs mature well. 

He’s almost here!